Hamad International Airport (HIA) has announced that it handled 529,436 tonnes of cargo during the first quarter (Q1) of this year, which signifies a 4,7 percent increase in the global hub’s cargo activity in comparison to the same quarter of 2019.

Local tourism and domestic travel are expected to lead the UAE and wider GCC’s recovery from COVID-19 as we begin to see the easing of lockdown restrictions, according to the latest research released ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Virtual, a newly-launched three-day event that will take place from June 01-03 of this year.

COVID-19 has placed the whole world on lockdown, with new research from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) showing that 100 percent of global destinations continue to have restrictions on travel in place, and 72 percent have completely closed their borders to international tourism.

Over the past weeks, the impact on international travel plans has continued to climb. In a survey by GlobalData, 56 percent of respondents in the emirates have had to cancel their upcoming international travel plans due to restrictions.

In line with national efforts aimed at combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in coordination with a number of Bahraini enterprises specialising in medical supplies, recently assisted in the importation of nine tons of medical items needed to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19, as well as general medications, medical equipment and hygienic products.

The medical drugs and equipment were chartered on special Gulf Air flights in an initiative spearheaded by Team Bahrain.

The collaboration between the national carrier and the local companies is to ensure the Kingdom possesses an abundant supply of medical drugs and equipment during this time to serve the shared goal of a safe and healthy community for all.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) recently announced the launch of the ‘Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme’, an e-learning platform which will educate travel trade industry professionals with all destination-related information about the emirate through a series of online courses.

From repurposing a property to adapting new strategies and approaches to secure a strong come-back for your hotel assets once the industry restarts, a multitude of things have to be considered from operational changes to strict hygiene measures.

Consumer uncertainty is one of the greatest barriers facing the travel industry, and despite cases of COVID-19 stabilizing across South Africa, 70 percent of South African respondents in a recent survey by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, say they are still extremely concerned about the impact of COVID-19 - in comparison to the one percent that declared they are not concerned.

Sharjah Holding PJSC, a strategic partnership between Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Sharjah Asset Management, in April welcomed the Holy Month by donating two tons of essential food items to families in need.